It Was The Result Of One Of His Unlucky
Embassies To Claim The Homage Of Distant States, And Turned Out As Badly
As The Attempts Against Champa And Japan.
His ambassador, a Chinese called
Meng-K'i, was sent back with his face branded like a thief's. A great
Armament was assembled in the ports of Fo-kien to avenge this insult; it
started about January, 1293, but did not effect a landing till autumn.
After some temporary success the force was constrained to re-embark with a
loss of 3000 men. The death of Kublai prevented any renewal of the
attempt; and it is mentioned that his successor gave orders for the
re-opening of the Indian trade which the Java war had interrupted. (See
Gaubil, pp. 217 seqq., 224.) To this failure Odoric, who visited Java
about 1323, alludes: "Now the Great Kaan of Cathay many a time engaged in
war with this king; but the king always vanquished and got the better of
him." Odoric speaks in high terms of the richness and population of Java,
calling it "the second best of all Islands that exist," and describing a
gorgeous palace in terms similar to those in which Polo speaks of the
Palace of Chipangu. (Cathay, p. 87 seqq.)
[We read in the Yuen-shi (Bk. 210), translated by Mr. Groeneveldt, that
"Java is situated beyond the sea and further away than Champa; when one
embarks at Ts'wan-chau and goes southward, he first comes to Champa and
afterwards to this country." It appears that when his envoy Meng-K'i had
been branded on the face, Kublai, in 1292, appointed Shih-pi, a native of
Po-yeh, district Li-chau, Pao-ting fu, Chih-li province, commander of the
expedition to Java, whilst Ike-Mese, a Uighur, and Kau-Hsing, a man from
Ts'ai-chau (Ho-nan), were appointed to assist him.
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